What is the main purpose of a FortiGate HA cluster?

The primary purpose of a FortiGate HA (High Availability) cluster is to provide redundancy and load balancing within a network security framework. This setup is crucial for maintaining continuous operation and reliability of network services. When a FortiGate unit fails or becomes unavailable, other units in the cluster can seamlessly take over without any interruption in service. This ensures that security services remain active and that traffic can continue to flow smoothly.

Moreover, load balancing in an HA cluster allows for the distribution of network traffic across multiple FortiGate units, improving the overall throughput and performance. By balancing the load, the cluster can handle large volumes of connections and prevent any single unit from becoming a bottleneck. This enhances both security and performance for users accessing network resources.

While other options mention important functionalities that FortiGate devices offer, such as VPN services or traffic monitoring, they do not encapsulate the overarching goal of an HA cluster, which is to ensure that network operations are resilient and efficient in the face of potential failures.